Transfer Portal Watch: Standouts that could be on the move in the offseason
The college basketball season is about to hit its stretch run. And while there’s still plenty to be excited about when it comes to the season at hand, the next spin of the transfer portal is very much looming overhead.
Today, I Got Five On It peeks ahead to transfer season and discusses five players on which to keep an eye when the portal opens.
*****
Related: Coaches on the bubble heading into March
2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2025 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2026 Rankings: Top 65
TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer search | Transfer tracker/player ranking (football) | Transfer team ranking (football) | Transfer tracker/player ranking (basketball) | Transfer team ranking (basketball) | Rivals Portal Twitter
*****
LAYDEN BLOCKER, Arkansas
Season stats: 3.8 PPG, 1.0 RPG
Prospect ranking: No. 24 in the 2023 Rivals150
Overview: Things have been rocky in Fayetteville this season, and the turbulence has extended to Blocker, who arrived on campus with lofty expectations. Alas, the former four-star has started just five of 24 games this season for a team that sits on a 12-13 record and miles away from the NCAA tournament conversation.
That kind of thing, in the past, has been the recipe for a trip to the portal. Blocker has played just 13 minutes per game as a freshman. And while that fact is no lock to push him into the portal, it’s definitely fair to assume the former No. 24 prospect in America had hopes for a bigger role or a more successful season.
Blocker may well decide to come back to Arkansas next season, but industry buzz suggests that such a decision has not been made as of now and that his future with the team is uncertain. Blocker is an in-state player, which will work in the Razorbacks’ favor, however.
As a recruit: Blocker grew up in Arkansas and looked like a Razorback lean for a healthy chunk of his recruitment. The four-star guard took official visits to Auburn, Oklahoma and Ole Miss and was also interested in programs such as Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas, Memphis and Oklahoma State.
*****
XAVIER BOOKER, Michigan State
Season stats: 8 MPG, 3.5 PPG, 1.7 RPG
Prospect ranking: No. 16 in the 2023 Rivals150
Overview: Things have not gone according to plan whatsoever for Booker, who committed to Michigan State amid massive fanfare in 2022. Once seen as one of the highest-upside prospects in the 2023 class, the former five-star has not looked like the NBA prospect some hoped he would in his first season. Instead, he’s played just eight minutes per game for the Spartans and has looked inconsistent during short stretches of playing time, never finding much confidence or rhythm of any sort.
Head coach Tom Izzo recently stated Booker has come a long way in recent weeks and intends to play him more consistently down the stretch. The former five-star, who has received a healthy DNP in multiple Big Ten games this season, has added significant weight over the course of the year and now looks like a more Big Ten-ready prospect. If he does, in fact, receive an uptick in usage down the stretch, an offseason transfer could get a bit less likely.
Nevertheless the way he’s been used up until now makes him worth watching when the portal begins to churn.
As a recruit: Booker chose Michigan State fairly early in the cycle, but took official visits to Indiana, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Purdue before doing so. At that time, it felt as though the Indiana-based Booker wanted to stay in the Midwest for college, but there’s no way of knowing if such a preference will remain if he decides to take another look around this offseason. Auburn, Cincinnati and Gonzaga were also loosely involved in his recruitment.
*****
TY-LAUR JOHNSON, Louisville
Season stats: 9 PPG, 3.9 APG, 3 RPG
Prospect ranking: No. 67 in the 2023 Rivals150
Overview: A coaching change at Louisville feels likely, and that would probably send the talented freshman into the portal. Even in the event that one doesn’t take place, it feels as though Johnson could still test the transfer waters.
His playing time has increased in the last month or so. Still, at least from the outside, it feels as though the freshman guard has been under-utilized for much of the season. Johnson has started just seven games for the struggling Cardinals and averages 27 minutes per contest despite his per-40-minute numbers suggesting he could shine in a larger role. He recently came off the bench to become the first Louisville player in history to score 25-plus points and dole out 10-plus assists in a game.
As a recruit: The New York-born Johnson was committed to Memphis before decommitting and eventually landing at Louisville. NC State was also once very close to landing his pledge. Mississippi State was involved, as well, though to a lesser extent than the aforementioned programs.
*****
DUG MCDANIEL, Michigan
Season stats: 16.6 PPG, 4.6 APG, 3.1 RPG
Prospect ranking: No. 100 in the 2022 Rivals150
Overview: One of the season’s most pleasant surprises, McDaniel leads Michigan in both scoring and assists a year after averaging just eight points per game as a freshman. If he decides to test the transfer waters, there could be some serious NIL money out there for the battle tested and proven guard.
Add in the fact that Michigan could dismiss the coaching staff that helped turn him into a star through offseason development, and you can see why the sophomore has landed on this list. McDaniel was the recipient of an unorthodox punishment that saw him suspended for six road games while being allowed to continue to play at home this season, which, while a bit odd, probably won’t play into his offseason decision.
The Wolverines don’t have a great recent history of keeping their stars out of the transfer portal, obviously. It’s hard to predict what McDaniel will do because there are so many moving parts related to the program’s current coaching situation.
As a recruit: McDaniel committed to Michigan on the heels of an official visit to Ann Arbor back in 2021. He didn’t get particularly serious with any other program before making the call but held offers from programs such as Arizona State, UConn and Wake Forest. Georgetown was also involved.
*****
TJ POWER, Duke
Season stats: 17 games played, 6.8 MPG, 1.8 PPG
Prospect ranking: No. 22 in the 2023 Rivals150
Overview: Talented players want to play, and doing so at Duke can be difficult. Power has appeared in just 17 games this season, averaging 6.6 minutes per contest and fewer than two points per game. That brand of limited usage combined with the fact that the Blue Devils have a loaded 2024 recruiting class that includes mega-prospect Cooper Flagg and a handful of other elite frontcourt players, and you can see why Power is a candidate to hit the portal at season’s end.
Power is not a lock to hit the bricks by any stretch, but the former four-star prospect will certainly be tempted by other opportunities.
As a recruit: A former five-star prospect, Power is from New England and considered programs such as Iowa, Virginia, North Carolina and Boston College before choosing Duke. Kansas and UCLA were both involved to lesser extents.